Siegen Tercios
A Siegen Tercio are the elite Astra Militarum regiments built in the Siegerland Sub-Sector. Tercios are famous for their resistance on the battlefield, forming the elite of the military units available in the Siegerland Sub-Sector. Tercios are a ground combat force, and sometimes also naval of the Empire. Siegen's Tercios are the perfect example of the effect caused by the recruitment of the Imperial Guard in Feudal Worlds where they used to resort to cams in large numbers or to the hiring of mercenaries. The care that was put in maintaining in the units a high number of "old soldiers" (veterans) and their professional training, together with the particular personality that the nobles of the low nobility that nourished them, gave them the basis for their being the best infantry in the Siegerland Sub-Sector. 'History' 'Origin' 'War of the Uruk' Notable Campaigns 'Regimental Organization' 'Regimental Ranks' Officer Ranks *'Capitán general (Field Marshal)' *'General de Ejército (General)' *'Teniente general (Lieutenant General)' *'General de división (Major General)' *'General de brigada (Brigadier General)' *'Coronel (Colonel)' *'Teniente coronel (Lieutenant Colonel)' *'Comandante (Major)' *'Capitán(Captain)' *'Teniente (First Lieutenant)' *'Alférez (Second Lieutenant)' 'Non-Commissioned Officers' *'Brigada (Brigade)' *'Sargento primero (First Sargeant)' *'Sargento (Sargeant)' *'Cabo mayor (Major Corporal)' *'Cabo primero (First Corporal)' *'Cabo (Corporal)' 'Soldiers' *'Soldado de primera (Private First Class)' *'Soldado (Trooper)' 'Regimental Recruitment & Training' Unlike most Imperial Worlds, Siegen does not operate on conscription, but rather the Siegen Tercios and all of their regiments are volunteers and/or volunteer only. The populace of Siegen is exposed to a heavy level of propaganda, however, with military service seen as the highest example of serving and/or worshipping the God-Emperor of Mankind, and not doing so is akin to calling oneself a heretic. Reserve components, Commissars, Tech-Priests, Inquisitors, and other high ranking members of the Imperium with no formal organizational command are often assigned or conscripted into Regiments when they are required or needed. Unlike most Astra Militarum Regiments, where soldiers are given basic weaponry and equipment, and perhaps trained to fire their main weapon, recruits from the Siegen Tercios spend on average three months training, learning primarily Combined arms warfare and Shock and awe, as well as leadership principles and the ability to think for themselves. What separates the Siegen Tercios from almost all Astra Militarum Regiments is that they are all taught how to fight in multiples forms from day one. Combined with a pious nature to the God-Emperor and conviction to destroy His enemies, the chain of command is almost never interrupted as all recruits are instructed on what to do and how to accomplish the task. After training, they are assigned a platoon, company, battalion, and regiment, who are then shipped off to combat. 'Regimental Combat Doctrine' The Tercios are trained combat forces to act independently if necessary, their main specialty is the fighting where their artillery support nourishes them while their tanks crush the fortified positions and the infantry fight. Due to their fanaticism and zeal, the Tercios stand out for being perfect defenders, being famous several battles against chaotic forces that outnumbered them, despite their majority of defeats in these sieges, the Thirds have shown that their defeat can be achieved but the rival commander must be willing at a great cost in lives. A popular strategy in the Tercios is called a shirtless or shirt of a surprise attack occurring at night or at daybreak, when the enemy are supposed to be asleep. The purpose of these tactics is the destruction of enemy material, officers or champions, including the theft of enemy material in case of fighting against traitors who use the same equipment. These tactics are famous because the guards only carry the minimum material; one Frag Grenades, his daggers or swords and in some cases an Autopistol or Lasrifle 'Wargear' *'M36 Kantrael Pattern Lasrifle - '''The Lasgun can be produced in a multitude of different styles and patterns and can be found on almost every world of the Imperium. The M36 Pattern is one of the most ubiquitous variants of the Lasgun in use by the Imperial Guard across the galaxy. *'4 Charge Packs - Charge packs are the powerful batteries used for all Imperial laser weapons, which varies in both size and output, depending on the classification of the weapon. Also, depending on the number of rounds the weapon is able to fire, these charge packs provide for the number of shots for that particular weapon. *'Mono-Knife.'Frag Grenades use a combustible charge and special fillers of shrapnel fragments which make them potent anti-personnel weapons. Imperial Frag Grenades are roughly the size of a clenched fist and covered with a heavily notched shell, both to increase the shrapnel produced and provide a more secure grip for throwing. *'3 Smoke Grenades - '''Smoke Grenades release a dense smoke which only obscures basic eyesight and optical based systems. They do not block detection systems that use heat or other spectral bands outside of normal human eyesight, but are much more widely available and easier to construct. *'2 Frag Grenades - 'Frag Grenades use a combustible charge and special fillers of shrapnel fragments which make them potent anti-personnel weapons. Imperial Frag Grenades are roughly the size of a clenched fist and covered with a heavily notched shell, both to increase the shrapnel produced and provide a more secure grip for throwing. *'Flak Armour - 'Flak Armour is the standard-issue form of body armour issued to the millions of troopers of the Astra Militarum. It is comprised of several layers of ablative and impact absorbent material to help provide protection from case fragments ("frag") from high explosive weaponry, such as anti-artillery ("flak") grenades, some rounds used in shotguns and land mines, and other low-velocity projectiles. It is not designed to protect against high-impact weapons fire from small arms such as rifles or handguns. However, flak armour is able to sustain certain gunshots, depending on the armour, the projectile and the range from which the shot was fired. Lightweight and cheap to produce, this standard-issue wargear is dependable in most combat situations and many veteran troopers have a tendency to keep utilising it even if offered something better. *'Siegen Tercios Imperial Guard Uniform - 'An officer of the Siegen Tercios wears the general service uniform issued to all of the members of the Imperial Guard regiments raised from Siegen, regardless of their rank or specific military role within the force. 'Optional Wargear 'Notable Tercios' 'Notable Figures of the Tercios' 'Anecdotes of Tercios' Miracle of Empel At present, the patron of the Tercios '''is the Holy Euphrati Keeler. This patronage has its origin in the so-called Miracle of Empel during the. Colonel Francisco de Bobadilla was fighting on Bommel Moon 42, completely blocked by the Tau fleet. The blockade narrowed more and more and supplies and ammunition were exhausted. The enemy chief then proposed an honorable surrender but the Imperial response was clear: “Siegen's infants prefer death to dishonor. We will talk about capitulation after death ». Faced with this response, leader Tau resorted to a method frequently used in that conflict: destroy the dams that contained the gigantic rivers to flood the enemy camp. Soon there was no more land than the hill of Empel, where the soldiers of the Tercio took refuge. At that critical moment, a soldier of the '''Tercios '''who was digging a trench stumbled upon a wooden object buried there. It was a table with the image of Saint Euphrati Keeler. Announced the finding, they placed the image on an impromptu altar and Colonel Bobadilla, considering the fact as a sign of divine protection, urged his soldiers to fight entrusting themselves to the saint: "This treasure so rich that they discovered beneath the earth was a divine nuncio of good, which, through the Emperor's intercession, awaited on his blessed day." A completely unusual and intensely cold wind unleashed that night freezing the waters of the rivers. The Imperials, marching on the ice, attacked by surprise the Tau forces that were harassing them on the ground at dawn of the day and obtained a victory so complete that Admiral Tau came to say: «It seems that his Emperor is a god, by exercising such a miracle ». That same day, among cheers and acclamations, Saint Euphrati Keeler is proclaimed patron of the '''Tercios. Go to the club The sergeant major of each Tercio directed the compasses of his men moving a large club, a kind of antecedent of the orchestra baton that received the explicit name of porra. When a column in motion made a prolonged stop, the sergeant pushed the lower end of his distinctive baton into the ground to symbolize the stop. In its vicinity the guard was quickly established, responsible for guarding the most precious symbols of the Tercios: the flag and the vehicle where the relic was carried. Also under arrest were the arrested soldiers, who during that break had to remain seated around the baton that the sergeant had nailed at the beginning. That therefore amounted to "sending someone to the club" as a synonym for arresting him. This ironic but curious locution was quite successful, so it went on to swell Siegen's lexical wealth, originating the current and derogatory "go to the baton!" 'Food and health' The private soldier's meal included an approximate kilo of bread or cake, a pound of meat and a half of fish and a pint of wine, more oil and vinegar, which contributed from 3300 to 3900 kilocalories daily. It should be known that the soldier had to prepare his own food, although the preparation of some food was carried out by each of the comrades in the campfire. Each Tercios has a qualified medical team. All companies had a doctor for first aid, and the seriously injured were transferred to the general hospital, where there were nurses, doctors and surgeons. This hospital was in charge of the soldiers themselves through the so-called "real alms", the sale of the personal effects of the patients who died without making a will or the donations that someone voluntarily made. The truth was that most of the veteran soldiers were covered with scars, and many ended up crippled or mutilated without compensation. 'Character and way of life' The Tercios soldiers were proud and extremely careful men of their personal honor, so much so that they preferred death to dishonor and their reputation as soldiers. They were aggressive troops, disciplined and with enormous self-confidence, but difficult to handle in the deal if it was not done carefully. For example, Siegen's men did not consent to being punished by hitting them with their hands or a stick, as in other armies, since they considered him unworthy, and preferred to receive punishment with weapons such as the sword, despite the dangerousness of it, for considering it more noble. On one occasion a soldier who was touched by an officer with a stick did not hesitate to put his hand on his sword, despite knowing that such an act of rebellion was punishable by death (as was the case). It was argued whether touching with a rod like a gun pole was offensive, even if it was by accident. Such an obsession with matters of honor and reputation made Siegen's soldiers famous as quarrelsome, and duels were not uncommon. And that officers should treat them carefully, although it was very helpful to use their own pride to hold them. When they fought alongside regiments of other planets or allies, it was common for Siegen to demand, to defend their reputation, the most important, dangerous or decisive positions in combat, as in fact they were employed. One way to stimulate the care of weapons was to select for the first combat lines, the most dangerous and therefore the most distinguished, to those who had the equipment in better condition, and the Tercio parties are unique because it had to include punishments for those who they will break the formation by the desire to fight or distinguish themselves against the enemy. Siegen's soldiers were the troops who later mutinied for lack of pay, enduring years without charge and living in conditions of misery before rebelling. Instead of doing it before an important battle, as it was common to press for their pay, they only did it after her, so that they would not say that they had not done their duty, but that it was their bosses who did not do it with theirs. Don't give them reward. In case of mutiny, they chose their bosses and maintained a discipline equivalent to that of the army. Soldiers like that were excellent, but discipline had to be strong to control them. And in fact it could be very hard. When Rortugal Quintus was pacified, Philip XII put a lot of interest in not bothering civilians. But logistics simply could not sustain a large army without them seeking fun in the area. Despite knowing it, the general hung up so many soldiers that he wrote to the Governor to tell him that he was worried about running out of ropes. On another occasion when a Scintilla nobleman (who fought with Tercios ) wanted to attack without permission, the accompanying Volpone officer told him that he did not know how far the discipline of Tercios went, because if he attacked without permission he did not know if his Nobility would be enough to save his neck. 'Regimental Appearance' 'Regimental Insiginia' Regimental Markings 'Allies' 'Enemies' 'Notable Quotes' By the Tercios About the Tercios 'Gallery' Category:Imperial Guard Category:Imperial Guard Regiments Category:Light Infantry Regiments Category:ThePrimeInvictarus